frayed at the edge

A head for heights

For someone who doesn't even like standing on a chair, being this high would be a nightmare!!  We couldn't see what the workmen were doing to this building in the middle of the High Street ..... and it was giving me shivers seeing them so far off the ground

 

Back home, there were more signs in the garden that spring is just about here

forsythia

 

clematis

 

honeysuckle

 

Malcolm has started work on changing this border, building a small drystone wall at the front

 

In the front garden, the sparrows were refusing to pose on the feeders ......

 

But these other birds were more obliging!

 

 

 

 

Still knitting!

You might have noticed that there hasn't been much knitting mentioned recently ....... because I haven't been doing very much!  One reason is all the sewing I have been doing for Anne, but the other reason is that I just lost my enthusiasm for a few weeks.  I also haven't been at knit'n'natter this year - again there are two reasons - first, my friend Lorraine that I car shared with was away for several weeks (she went away a granny and came back a great granny!!) and second with the ever-increasing cost of fuel, I have been using the car a bit less.  However Lorrainre and I decided to meet somewhere nearer, so today we had our first get together ....... and of course cake was involved!  A very delicious orange cream sponge

 

When I was sorting out some knitting yesterday to take with me today, I realised that I hadn't shown you this book, which Jennifer gave me recently

 

There are so many lovely dolls, it was hard to decide what to knit first.  I finally narrowed it down to these two - they have the same basic body, so once I have done that I can choose which one ...... but of course the Johnny Depp lookalike is very appealing!!

 

 

I have to admit that there was much more nattering than knitting, and I am too embarrassed to show you the little bit that I did!!  When I got home, the front garden was full of birds, so while Malcolm made the dinner (sausages and mash with onion and mushroom gravy - delicious) I took these photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

The robin isn't always so good at posing ...... this is just one of the many photos in which it hopped off just as I snapped!

 

Sewing old and new

Some years ago, I made a quilt for Stuart, and every so often he kindly lets me borrow it to show off  to friends.  I had asked to borrow it again, so that I could show it to Kay, as she was interested in how it had been  longarm quilted.  Having shown it to her last Friday at patch'n'chat, the quilt is now safely installed on the spare bed, until I return it

 

 

Rather than a duvet, we have a comforter on our bed ....... we actually have two, a summer one and a winter one.  However they have seen better days, as we bought them when we were living in Indonesia - and we have been home for over eleven years!!  So I asked Kay if she would make a new one for me.  I chose an all-over design - you can read about the quilting here.  I got the comforter from Kay on Friday ....... but I have to put the binding on, which will be a long job!  So for the moment the comforter is folded across  on the spare bed

 

 

 

After a busy morning sewing, I decided to go for a quick walk after lunch - and of course the camera went too!  I was delighted to find sheep in the field at  the bottom of the road, as there are no sheep in rest of the surrounding fields at the moment - Billy the Farmer, who would normally have ewes in the field across from us, is laid up after falling off his horse at New Year and breaking his back, and the elderly farmer who came to my rescue last year when I found a tiny lamb in the middle of the road sadly died last summer, and his farm is lying empty.

 

 

 

I was taking some of my "arty" photos ........

 

 

....... when I couldn't persuade the camera to focus  on this dried nettle - I guess it just couldn't pick it out from the busy background.  Then I had one of those "lightbulb" moments ...... I put my hand behind the nettle, focused, then took my hand away

 

I then used the same method to capture this rosehip

 

but I didn't need it for this beech nut

 

I like how the moss is growing on top of the lichen - and I like the colours ..... an idea for a quilt perhaps?

 

You know that quite often I have close encounters with large lorries when out for a walk, but today I had just turned back into our road when this monster roared past!!

 

To finish, a spllash of colour ...... a tub full of crocus outside the house at the end of the road

Winter's last gasp?

When we got up yesterday morning, it was snowing!

 

Then this morning it was frosty - I had to scrape the car when I went out for the usual Monday morning food shopping.  However, it was also bright and sunny, so, as we didn't get our usual Sunday walk, we went out after lunch.  We walked up to the church, then took the footpath through the field.  As soon as this horse in the next field saw us, it got a bit agitated

 

It kept running at the fence and thrusting its head towards us - I don't know if it was trying to bite, but we kept well out of its way

 

In contrast, this little one was a real sweetie!

 

Many years ago, there used to be a railway here, but unfortunately it fell to Dr. Beeching's axe.  However, there are still signs of where the line ran.  This tunnel under the line was probably to allow the farmers to move their stock

 

Usually I see this view from the other direction, this is heading back up the field to the road

 

When we got back to the road, Malcolm headed off home as he wanted to do some work in the garden, while I went to check on the Jacob's lambs

 

 

 

 

 

To finish, a little taster of tomorrow's sewing report

Shadow Shot Sunday

As always, I am joining in the fun over at Shadow Shot Sunday 2, where shadow addicts from around the world get together to share their latest captures.  This week's shadows come from our walk two weeks ago at William Wallace's statue ..... this time the shadows are of our walk through the trees to get to the statue.

 

 

 

 

The credit for the last photo goes to Malcolm, who spotted this sharp, dark shadow on the tree trunk

Young and old

I have made many baby quilts over the years, which have been given to friends, neighbours, relatives and charities.  I rarely see the quilts again, but Stuart sent me this photo this morning of Mia, the daughter of his friend Emma.  Poor Mia was a bit unwell yesterday ........ there is nothing better than cuddling up under a quilt when you're not well!  (photo used with Emma's permission)

 

At patch'n'chat this afternoon, Charlie brought in a quilt top which has been made by her mother Peggy, who will be eighty in June!  Charlie had acquired the top from her Mum's house and had brought it in to ask Kay to longarm quilt it, as a surprise present for her Mum.  The blue and white quilt is one of Kay's which she had brought along to give Charlie an idea of how it might be quilted

 

Jen was working on a beautiful sewing box, which she had started at a recent workshop

 

The pegs are holding the edge of the  lid in place while the fabric glue dries!

 

I got quite a lot more prep done on my Baltimore block

 

We were spoiled for choice when we went through for our cuppa, as Sheena had been to Border Meringues for some extra goodies!!

 

Delicious as they all looked, I instead chose to have a piece of my favourite apple and sultana cake

 

I hope you all have a good weekend - no doubt I will be busy sewing!!  Love, Anne

 

Has spring sprung?

Looking round the garden this morning, it would certainly seem so!  First in the front garden

the hawthorn hedge

 

flowering currant

 

lupin

 

poppy

 

Then in the back garden (oops, I've forgotten the names of the first two plants)

 

 

The helebore suddenly has several flowers

 

 

It's not just the plants that think spring has arrived - the first sighting of a greenfly!

 

This tiny seedling must have grown from a seed from one of the cones that I has put in this large  pot

 

When we were in Hawick this morning, we popped into the Shelter charity shop ....... I was doing my bit both for charity and the environment by handing in an empty printer cartridge.  We had a browse, and found these little books.  They are beautifully produced, and have excellent photos of lots of wildflowers - as they were only 50 pence each, I splashed out and bought all three!!

 

After lunch, I started work onn my next sample for Anne.  The beautiful fabrics ......

 

...... the patterns for twelve stitcheries

 

and the embroidery threads

 

will (eventually!) make this quilt

 

I started by cutting the squares of fabric, and the squares of thin wadding, for the stitcheries, then used the iron-on transfers - a quick and easy way to mark the fabric.  Next I tacked the wadding on to the back of the first stitchery

 

The last job of the afternoon was to wind the threads on to card bobbins and select some embroidery needles

 

I'll start sewing later, once I've had a browse through my favourite blogs!!